Corvinus Gaunt

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In the 1700s, there was a proposal to install an elaborate plumbing system at Hogwarts Castle. This, of course, threatened the secrecy around the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets which, at the time, still had its original appearance — a concealed trapdoor and a series of magical tunnels — and which was located on the site where a girls' bathroom would be set up.[2]

Corvinus Gaunt was, at the time, a student at Hogwarts and, as a descendant of Salazar Slytherin himself, knew where the entrance to the Chamber was and how to open it. Corvinus was responsible for secretly protecting the entrance, having concealed it behind plumbing fixtures and a sink (which today are part of Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom), so that those who knew how could still access the Chamber.[2]

Etymology

"Corvinus" is the diminutive of "Corvus", which derives from Latin corvus, "raven". Matthias Corvinus was a 15th century Hungarian king, possibly referring to Corvinus's status as a pure-blood, as many pure-bloods consider themselves akin to royalty. Also, Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus was a Roman general, author and patron of literature and art.

The word gaunt is defined as "haggard, drawn and emaciated" and "bleak, desolate".